Legalization

Late last year, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation to create a new system of rules governing medical marijuana in the state. The same regulations could play a part in full legalization, should voters approve it in November. Now, the newly appointed head of the agency lawmakers created, the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation, says she thinks “there is a ...

Marijuana legalization has been on a roll in recent years, but experts warned in April that the movement could be setting itself up for a disastrous November. The Drug Policy Alliance said legalization proponents in at least nine states are “dangerously over-extended,” adding that there are too few advocates stretched too thin with too little money and too little time. ...

A new report suggests California should impose tight regulations on cultivation, distribution, and sale of marijuana should voters legalize the drug in November. The Public Policy Institute of California published the report in April, saying the state will need to draft “robust licensing and tracking systems” for a legal cannabis industry. The rules should reflect those adopted in Colorado and ...

When it comes to legal marijuana, California is the prize to beat all prizes. Four states (Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska) plus the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for recreational use within the last four years. But the Golden State could leave them all in the dust. Reform groups are pushing to put the legalization question on the statewide ...

It’s no secret California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to see his state legalize marijuana in November. He has been arguing for reform for many years, and he has used his office to push the campaign further. But for the first time, he has offered a detailed, cogent public explanation of why he backs legalization. In an op-ed column published ...

Marijuana advocates have long been bullish on the prospect of legalization in California. They’ve failed, and failed again, but the general attitude is that this time is the charm. Comedian Adam Carolla begs to differ. Carolla, star of Loveline and the onetime Man Cave, says in an interview that voters won’t go along with cannabis reform in November, if only ...

When it comes to talk of marijuana legalization in California, the focus, understandably, is on California. It would be unrealistic to expect the state’s voters to care much about reform in other parts of the country. But it’s an important question. If the Golden State goes legal, what happens elsewhere? Would a vote to flip here lead the rest of ...

There was a time, not long ago, when California’s medical marijuana industry was viewed as a death trap for career lobbyists. For example: When Amy Jenkins, a young lobbyist in Sacramento, took a job representing the California Cannabis Industry Association two years ago, longtime lobbyists told her she was crazy. It would ruin her future, they said. “I was warned ...

It has been a long time since the people of California’s Inland Empire had much reason to smile. Many of its small desert communities were crushed by the collapse of the housing market eight years ago, and few have recovered. The people of Adelanto have it especially tough. This town of 31,000 residents is really only known for one thing: ...

Activists are working to make marijuana legal in the November statewide election, and the odds are increasingly good they will succeed, according to recent media reports. Several groups are pushing petitions to legalize the drug, and if any make the ballot, they stand a good chance of passing. One effort, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, has already pulled in ...